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Anesth Analg 2004;99:1864-1866
© 2004 International Anesthesia Research Society
doi: 10.1213/01.ANE.0000136847.41264.60

GENERAL ARTICLES

Venous Air Embolism During Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

Peter E. Frasco, MD*, Renee E. Caswell, MD*, and Donald Novicki, MD{dagger}

Departments of *Anesthesiology anda {dagger}Urology, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Arizona

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Peter E. Frasco, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, 5777 East Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85054. Address e-mail to frasco.peter{at}mayo.edu

Venous air embolism during transurethral surgery is a rare event. There have been case reports in the anesthesia and urology literature of fatal air embolism during transurethral prostate resection and transurethral incision of the bladder neck. We present a case of nonfatal venous air embolism during transurethral prostate resection in which incorrect assembly of the bladder irrigation-resectoscope-drain system led to a rapid entrainment of air into the open venous channels of the prostate bed.

IMPLICATIONS: The incorrect assembly of a bladder irrigation system caused air to be pumped from an open drain through the resectoscope into the bladder, which led to a near fatal cardiac arrest caused by venous air embolism. Anesthesiologists and urologists should be aware of this potential complication.






Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999 HighWire Press
Copyright © 2004 by the International Anesthesia Research Society.